Isn't it fascinating how some people connect with some people better than others? Have you ever wondered why some people gravitate to certain kinds of roles? Working in teams is a critical skill and understanding why people behave the way they do can help you be a better team player, leader, partner or even sales person.
Personality profiling is a really easy way to help you understand yourself and others better.
There are many different personality profiling tools available, but they are all grounded in the same psychology. The ancient Greeks, Chinese and Tibetan all referred to earth, wind, fire, water or wood to help understand the world around them and the personalities of different people. In psychology Freud argued that the personality was formed by conflict in our inner egos and spent his career trying to understand people.
Carl Jung is probably one of the biggest influencers of personality profiling and his work forms the foundation of most profiles. He developed the theory that individuals each had a psychological type that impacts the way we take in information (sensing or intuition) and how we make decisions He also argued that a person is either extraverted or introverted, and these styles dominate our behaviour.
So much research has been done since then to understand the human brain and profiling has become very precise and accurate. You can read the next 4 lessons to understand the dominant types and key characteristics, but to get an accurate profile, you should co
Can we change?
It is generally agreed that our core personality is fixed by the age of seven, but we do adapt over time. In fact, humans brains don't fully form until we reach around 25, but our core behaviours have usually become hardwired into our brains much earlier. A talkative child generally becomes a talkative adult, but over the years they learn the value of listening.
A highly critical, conscientious person may learn to let go of perfectionism as they reach their latter years. In fact most people learn many life lessons along the way and have a different perspective on life as they evolve and change. Our brains are plastic, meaning we continue to make new neuro-connections throughout our life. However, the earlier those connections were formed, the less plastic they are, meaning change is so much harder.
You can adapt your natural style, but working against your hard wiring can lead to stress and pressure. You may feel like you have compromised who you really are and become unfulfilled. It's no wonder people feel supressed when they work for the wrong boss or in the wrong job, eventually breaking free.
Isn't it easier to work with your strengths and build a team who can support your weaknesses? Of course you can develop your weaknesses to improve, but don't try to master them. There is already someone out there who can do it without even having to try.
An logical person can learn to brainstorm in an uncontrolled, unstructured way, but it will never be their natural way of thinking. A cooler person can learn to develop support, empathy and compassion, but their default thought will always be based on analysis, realism and facts. A spontaneous person can learn to be organised and planned, but after a while they will look for shortcuts and variety.
Develop your weaknesses, play to your strengths and build a diverse teams.
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